Sunday, November 14, 2010

Norse Gods Modern Relevance

Norse gods have influenced filmmakers, musicians, writers, artists, game creators, and many others contemporary storytellers. In the epic poem, The Ballad of the White Horse, written by G.K. Chesterton, refers to various Norse gods in the literature. Two of the gods mentioned are Odin and Thor. In the story, Odin and Thor are portrayed in a negative light. The ballad portrays Catholicism as the true religion and the Norse religion as pagan. Catholicism is the main emphasis in the story so being that the Norse gods are supporting a different religion, they are looked at negatively. In the recent film, The Son of the Mask, written and directed by Lawrence Guterman, includes a character who channels the sprit of the Norse god Loki. Loki is one of the major deities in the Norse pantheon, he is crafty and malicious, and also causes a lot of mischief (pantheon.org). This is the spirit that the character Otis in the film turns into while wearing the mask. The band Manowar has been influenced strongly by the Norse god Odin. In fact their album, Gods of War, is in honor of Odin, “ the almighty father of the Norse gods”(metalstorm). His power and wisdom were unmatched among the gods and he is paid tribute with human sacrifice on the battlefield, as heard in the song, “The Sons of Odin” (metalstorm). Many other contemporary storytellers have referenced to Norse gods. These examples are only that of a few who become influenced by these intriguing figures of Norse god mythology.